This refers to the report that Rajya Sabha members, cutting across party lines, have sought a constitutional amendment to provide for promotion quota in jobs for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, in the wake of the Supreme Court quashing the U.P. government's decision in the matter.
A promotion based on any consideration other than merit will compromise efficiency. Our MPs should rise above political interests and reconsider their stand. They should ponder over the far-reaching effect such an amendment can have.
Divya Bhagat,
New Delhi
Reservation for the SCs and the STs has been a great boon to them. It has brought forth the suppressed potential of the deprived classes. The third generation is enjoying the benefits of reservation, which has given rise to a debate on the need to continue the preferential treatment. Opening up educational and job opportunities has revolutionised their lives but it cannot be said that prejudice against them has disappeared. One of the reasons for this is the extension of reservation to promotions in the public sector. It is not easy for the deserving to suffer suppression on the basis of caste alone. The Supreme Court judgment is progressive.
S. Rajagopalan,
Chennai
It is disheartening to learn that our MPs have sought a constitutional amendment to provide for promotion quotas in jobs for the SCs and the STs. Our politicians are bent on dividing the country on the basis of caste and religion.
Ritesh Bhatia,
Roorkee
The proposed amendment is not only unfair and draconian but is totally against the spirit of accommodation, which was behind the constitutional guarantee of reservation. The Constituent Assembly thought that a level-playing field needed to be provided to the oppressed sections for their all-round development.
The fast track uplift of some communities at the cost of others in today's context will only divide society further. We need to revisit the basics of caste-based reservation rather than perpetuate or enlarge its ambit.
R. Kalyanaraman,
Chennai
Keywords: quota in jobs, SC/STs, caste-based reservation, religion